Cenotes Dzitnup & Sammula

Cenotes Dzitnup & Sammula
The Cenote Dzitnup (also known as Cenote Xkekén), 4km (2 1/2 miles) west of Valladolid off Highway 180, is worth a side trip, especially if you have time for a dip. You can take the bike trail there. Antonio Aguilar, who owns a sporting goods store at Calle 41 no. 225, between calles 48 and 50, rents bikes. Once you get there, you descend a short flight of rather perilous stone steps, and at the bottom, inside a beautiful cavern, is a natural pool of water so clear and blue that it seems plucked from a dream. If you decide to swim, be sure that you don't have creams or other chemicals on your skin -- they damage the habitat of the small fish and other organisms living there. Also, no alcohol, food, or smoking is allowed in the cavern. Admission is $2. The cenote is open daily from 7am to 7pm. About 90m (300 ft.) down the road on the opposite side is another recently discovered cenote, Sammulá, where you can also swim. Admission is $2.